From School Library Journal Gr 2-4-In specific, methodical language (with rare fumbles: "When the animal then goes to the bathroom some time later, the seeds leave its body..."), Owen offers solidly informative explanations of how plants nourish themselves, grow, and reproduce. What Do Roots, Stems, Leaves, and Flowers Do? serves as an overview of topics covered in greater detail in the other volumes and a useful introduction to plants in general. Each volume features a mix of close-up color photos ranging from standard views of pollen-encrusted bumblebees to rare glimpses of a fly peering out through the "bars" of a Venus flytrap and a tropical pitcher plant claimed to be big enough to entrap rats. Each also ends with directions for two relatively inexpensive "investigations" that are well designed to extend and enrich understanding of the content.
